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Westminster motoring statistics

How many cars and electric cars are registered in Westminster, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Westminster compares with London. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.

Last updated
Records analysed
101,505 licensed vehicles in Westminster
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 94,735 +24.2% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 179 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 54,829 57.9% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 7.7% 2nd highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 2,893 1,378 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 60.4% UK 10.0%

Company fleets. 60.4% of cars registered in Westminster have a company as their keeper, against 10.0% across the UK. DVLA counts company cars at the company’s registered address, so leasing and rental fleets land where those firms are based and move when they move. The figures for privately kept cars are the better guide to local drivers.

How many cars are there in Westminster?

There were 94,735 licensed cars in Westminster at the end of June 2026, and 101,505 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 71.8% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 179 for every 1,000 residents, 9th lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Westminster

Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.

Licensed cars and vehicles in Westminster at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 63,10355,158
2011 62,06554,218
2012 60,90453,001
2013 59,84952,161
2014 59,35951,672
2015 58,43150,769
2016 58,14450,512
2017 60,38451,769
2018 58,61450,436
2019 57,70449,786
2020 56,30749,019
2021 56,30648,770
2022 57,44850,119
2023 64,38856,655
2024 73,12364,649
2025 84,18176,281
2026 101,50594,735

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Licensed vehicles by type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Cars per 1,000 residents

All licensed cars at the end of June, divided by the ONS mid-year population. Company fleets registered locally push this up.

Cars per 1,000 residents at mid-year, Westminster compared
Year WestminsterLondonUnited Kingdom
2011 247313–
2012 241307–
2013 242303–
2014 241303–
2015 235303473
2016 237304480
2017 246306488
2018 240303490
2019 239301493
2020 238296489
2021 237300493
2022 239295489
2023 269290489
2024 308287490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Westminster

26.5% of cars in Westminster run on petrol and 7.0% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 33.9% in 2016. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 5.2%, and cars that plug in 61.0%.

Cars by fuel type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Fuel mix over time

Share of licensed cars at the end of March each year.

Share of licensed cars by fuel type in Westminster, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 75.6%21.3%2.3%0.3%0.0%
2011 73.4%23.2%2.6%0.3%0.0%
2012 70.8%25.7%2.7%0.3%0.0%
2013 68.0%28.3%2.9%0.3%0.0%
2014 65.3%30.7%3.1%0.4%0.1%
2015 63.1%32.4%3.2%0.5%0.3%
2016 60.9%33.9%3.4%0.7%0.6%
2017 60.1%33.7%3.8%1.0%1.0%
2018 60.8%31.8%4.2%1.5%1.4%
2019 62.6%28.5%4.5%1.9%2.0%
2020 64.4%25.6%4.5%2.8%2.4%
2021 64.8%22.0%5.2%4.4%3.2%
2022 62.7%17.9%5.7%9.8%3.6%
2023 52.5%14.6%5.5%23.7%3.4%
2024 43.6%11.7%5.5%35.5%3.3%
2025 35.0%9.2%6.3%46.0%3.2%
2026 26.5%7.0%5.2%57.9%3.1%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Westminster

54,829 battery electric cars were licensed in Westminster at the end of June 2026, 57.9% of all cars, the highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 57,752 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 35,069.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 7.7% are battery electric (2,901 cars), 2nd highest of 33 councils in London. Companies keep 94.7% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 60.4% of its cars overall. There are also 345 battery electric vans.

Battery electric share of licensed cars

End of March each year. Fleet re-registrations can move a single area’s line sharply.

Battery electric share of licensed cars, Westminster compared, end of March each year
Year WestminsterLondonUnited Kingdom
2016 0.7%0.1%0.1%
2017 1.0%0.2%0.1%
2018 1.5%0.3%0.1%
2019 1.9%0.3%0.2%
2020 2.8%0.5%0.4%
2021 4.4%1.1%0.8%
2022 9.8%2.0%1.5%
2023 23.7%3.2%2.3%
2024 35.5%4.5%3.2%
2025 46.0%5.7%4.4%
2026 57.9%7.0%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Westminster

There were 2,893 public chargers in Westminster on 1 July 2026, 92 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 1,378 for every 100,000 residents, 2nd highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 0.6% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 1.8 privately kept plug-in cars in Westminster (UK 12.9), 5th fewest of 361 councils. A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.

Public chargers

Public EV chargers in Westminster by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 2,87592
Apr 2026 2,87894
Jul 2026 2,89392

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Westminster compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Westminster 1,37844
London 34528
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Westminster has 24 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 7.8% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 11.9%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Westminster with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Westminster 001 1,496 178 11.9% 16.7%
Westminster 002 2,104 226 10.7% 17.6%
Westminster 008 1,099 111 10.1% 15.6%
Westminster 003 1,480 141 9.5% 14.9%
Westminster 011 2,203 208 9.4% 16.7%
Westminster 012 1,434 129 9.0% 14.8%
Westminster 013 1,305 117 9.0% 14.8%
Westminster 007 2,069 181 8.7% 14.4%
Westminster 016 1,256 104 8.3% 13.6%
Westminster 015 1,718 140 8.1% 13.6%
Lowest electric shares
Westminster 010 1,557 67 4.3% 8.9%
Westminster 004 2,038 88 4.3% 8.5%
Westminster 005 2,204 109 4.9% 9.4%
Westminster 024 1,274 67 5.3% 9.9%
Westminster 020 1,646 94 5.7% 11.5%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026. 1 neighbourhood is left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Westminster

Vehicles travelled an estimated 456 million miles on roads in Westminster in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Westminster
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 656
1994 668
1995 670
1996 664
1997 660
1998 670
1999 673
2000 664
2001 643
2002 628
2003 618
2004 630
2005 632
2006 634
2007 615
2008 581
2009 559
2010 549
2011 538
2012 525
2013 519
2014 536
2015 542
2016 544
2017 535
2018 527
2019 512
2020 398
2021 431
2022 445
2023 448
2024 453
2025 456

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Westminster, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 1,144218
2022 1,274257
2023 1,242257
2024 1,094227
2025 1,133255

Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Westminster

Unleaded petrol averages 175.7p a litre across 9 filling stations in Westminster, 4.2p above the UK average. Diesel averages 203.6p, 4.9p above the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Esso MFG Dorset House Marylebone 172.9p
  2. BP MFG Lords St Johns Wood 172.9p
  3. Esso MFG the Vale Paddington 172.9p

Every filling station and price in Westminster

How Westminster compares

Westminster compared with London, England, the UK
Westminster 179 57.9% 7.7% 60.4% 1,378 1.8
London 264 7.0% 3.9% 9.8% 345 5.8
England 440 6.2% 3.2% 10.7% 173 13.4
United Kingdom4445.8%3.1%10.0%17512.9

Private cars per 1,000 people use the ONS mid-2024 population. Chargers are counted at the latest date; plug-in cars at the end of June 2026.

Driving test centres in Westminster

There is no DVSA car practical test centre in Westminster. The nearest centres are elsewhere in London.

Centres in London:

DVSA publishes pass rates by centre name, with no address, so centres are placed here by the place name in the name DVSA uses. See pass rates at every test centre.

Councils in London

Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.

Councils in London
Westminster 179 57.9% 7.7% 60.4% 1,378 1.8
City of London 79 24.6% 7.8% 50.4% 443 2.4
Hammersmith and Fulham 199 18.7% 5.2% 22.4% 1,380 1.5
Camden 159 9.7% 7.6% 12.6% 378 5.4
Kensington and Chelsea 239 7.4% 6.7% 8.5% 637 4.7
Brent 232 7.3% 4.0% 12.8% 367 5.1
Barnet 322 6.6% 5.4% 7.2% 288 10.1
Islington 132 6.0% 4.7% 11.6% 386 3.1
Richmond upon Thames 359 5.6% 4.7% 5.6% 642 5.0
Harrow 337 5.5% 4.3% 6.2% 120 22.8
Hillingdon 364 5.4% 3.4% 16.7% 121 20.1
Kingston upon Thames 354 5.2% 4.5% 3.9% 242 11.8
Merton 294 5.2% 4.4% 5.7% 436 5.6
Southwark 162 5.2% 4.3% 8.1% 618 2.1
Wandsworth 214 5.2% 4.4% 5.1% 532 3.6
Tower Hamlets 128 5.0% 3.8% 11.0% 776 1.7
Ealing 274 4.7% 3.6% 7.5% 264 7.6
Redbridge 302 4.7% 3.8% 7.2% 198 11.9
Hackney 138 4.6% 3.4% 10.4% 638 1.6
Haringey 214 4.6% 3.7% 8.9% 135 11.1
Bromley 409 4.5% 3.8% 4.4% 67 42.1
Lambeth 176 4.5% 3.8% 6.6% 244 5.4
Barking and Dagenham 264 4.4% 3.1% 8.6% 100 18.5
Croydon 318 4.3% 3.6% 5.5% 153 13.9
Hounslow 301 4.2% 3.2% 6.8% 233 8.9
Sutton 378 4.2% 3.6% 4.2% 118 20.5
Greenwich 239 4.1% 3.5% 6.3% 101 15.5
Havering 388 3.8% 2.9% 6.1% 95 24.0
Newham 168 3.8% 3.0% 9.3% 159 8.5
Enfield 334 3.6% 2.8% 6.9% 137 14.0
Lewisham 233 3.6% 3.1% 5.6% 133 10.5
Waltham Forest 251 3.6% 2.8% 7.6% 663 2.2
Bexley 382 3.5% 3.0% 6.3% 269 7.9

Data stories to read next

All insights

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 101,505 licensed vehicles in Westminster 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 58,706 plug-in vehicles 26 October 2026
Public chargers Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics Department for Transport 1 July 2026 121,171 public chargers (UK) 26 October 2026
Population Mid-year population estimates Office for National Statistics Mid-2024 404 areas 26 October 2026
Neighbourhoods Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 35,672 small areas (LSOAs) in England and Wales 26 October 2026
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Westminster run from the end of 2009.
  • Vehicles are counted at the registered keeper’s postcode: for company cars that is the company’s address, not where the car is driven.
  • Battery electric and plug-in counts come from table VEH0142; petrol, diesel and hybrid counts from VEH0105. “Other fuels” is VEH0105’s other-fuel count less plug-in cars.
  • Charger counts are based on Zapmap data and are official statistics in development. In June 2026 one operator removed about 1,270 private chargers wrongly listed as public, so April and July are not strictly comparable.
  • Neighbourhood figures cover England and Wales only; Scottish data zones and Northern Irish super data zones cannot be placed in councils without lookups we do not hold.
How we calculate these figures All data sources

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.